[private] this is it, the apocalypse

[Anomaly]

A N O M A L Y

Pain. That’s all there is. That’s all she is. Nothing else exists. Nothing else is important. Somewhere, deep down, she recognizes she is still screaming. But the conscious thought of it - that desperation for help and for life has been lost to the feeling.  She is slipping beneath the waves of pain - drowning as they roll over her again and again and again. And then there is a soft touch. A sound that is not screams. It is soft and sweet and for a moment, she registers comfort. The world is hazy and strange and quickly begins to warp.  Darkness pulses in the corner of her vision. The sweet sound is gone now - replaced by a blanket of warmth. Unknown to Anomaly - that warmth she feels is the strewn body of her would-be rescuer. One who had inadvertently sacrificed herself in an effort to save her.  But the darkness continues to spread.  It feels absolute and all-consuming.  It is an escape from the pain so she welcomes this - allows the darkness to take her completely.  And as she gives up, pushes a last feeble breath through bloody nostrils, there is light. Pure, white, consuming light. And then the crushing weight is gone. She can feel life returning to her body. She can feel the bones mending and the flesh knitting itself together.  She lets out a haggard sob - equal parts out of relief and sheer disbelief that she was alive after standing on the precipice of death. The girl opens her eyes slowly, forcing the lids to open against the now-fading light. She forces air into her lungs but still lacks the strength and the will to pull herself to her feet. So she remains prone on the ground.  ”What - what happened?” she asked, groggily, while rolling to her side and finally taking stock of her surroundings. Her gaze immediately climbs the wall of the canyon as understand begins to settle in newly-mended bones.  She blinks a few times in an effort to clear her mind before the sound of sobs that were not her own fully registers. She then sees the sisters who had come to her aid - one still as death.  A strangled sound escapes her throat. “Is she --” she swallows thickly as guilt begins to burn through her, ” I-is she ok?” she asks, uncertainty painting her voice. “I heard her voice -- s-she tried to help me,” she added, her voice wavering under the weight of all the emotions threatening to drag her back beneath the waves. THIS IS IT, THE APOCALYPSE

@[caledonia]